A travelers log

Hello,
I am back after a long time - its almost time for my new years blog. So rather than having some arcane philosophical discussion, i am going to transcribe a travel-log here.

This is the log i wrote - yes, in a notebook - during my journey from LA to Pune and back. I have transcribed it word to word - including the spelling mistakes - my comments while transcribing it are colored grey.


The journey begins - LA to Pune

-Travel log 12/2 or 2/12 now that i am going back to India
-Long wait at the airport with expensive [3X of normal] food
-Long call with Santya
-Very long struggle to call Deepti @ Malaysia
-Pretty air-hostesses .. warmest service so far
-Announcement in Hindi 'देवियों और सज्जनों ' - first feel of homeland !
-Disappointment at finding out that there is no power outlet
-No stupid safety demos.. instead a corny video with a pretty air-hostess
-Reading light not focusing on my seat
-Bye Bye LA through the window
-Stupidity -- decide that the seat doesnt go all the way down -- tell an airhostess -- she tells me that there is a different button for that :P
-Complimentary OJ/AJ/Water -- [here i have written a word which i cant decipher]
-Complimentary beer !
-Malaysian airlines -- best so far [except the announcements in some asian language] -- [i didnt realize it was malysian :P]
-Watching Half Blood Price -- didnt even know the movie was out
-So far the journey is really good -- sitting next to a a very nice family
-Met a girl @ airport -- Speech therapist -- we got talking a bit -- reminds me of Richa
-HP and HBP -- why dont they stick to the book?
-I smell fish
-Too many announcements during the movie
-Movie boring
-Nice meal -- wine with meal, i dont take wine
-Hot tea instead of coffee - sounded similar
-Good long sleep
-Wake up -- potato bun
-Forgot to bring toothbrush and moisturizer
-Watching Ice Age-Dawn of the Dinosaurs
-Good breakfast of scrambled eggs
-Plane movement -- coffee spills
-Found out that the toilets have toothbrushes and toothpaste !
-Land @ Taipei - disembark
-@ Taipei airport -- Duty free stuff too expensive
-1 US$ = 32 Taiwan$
-Back to the plane !
-Again food -- hungry, so will eat anything
-On KL airport
-Found a terminal -- check mail !
-Wait for the girls -- Asha and Aditi to finish their stuff [here i should explain that Aditi is the girl i met at the airport, Asha is one my my friends here who was also taking the same flight -- i didnt know about that earlier]
-Tried calling Deepti -- failed
-Rush to Immigration -- dont want Deepti to wait long
-Talk to a girl -- Laxmi in the imm. line -- she looks charmed by me :P
-Immigration clear -- transit pass
-Eager to meet Deepti -- but cant find her
-Calling her -- cant seem to
-Currency exchange -- 1US$ = 3.32 Ringetts [the actual spelling is Ringitts and the abbreviation is RM]
-Calling Deepti again - cant get through
-Eat at BK -- just for internet access [BK is burger king]
-Last try to contact Deepti - failed
-Go to shuttle stop and take shuttle to hotel
-Nice room -- coffee !! and wifi
-Comp runs on 2% battery for half an hour -- miracle
-Laptop conks off -- realized that there is a power outlet!
-तहान लागल्यावर विहीर खोदने   [Suddenly i had an inspiration and started writing in marathi -- forgive me for the errors of transliteration]
- बैग मधे टूथब्रुश मिळाला !
-मस्त आंघोळ केली
-आता उकदतय थोड
-15 km / j [?] अशी पाटी होती
-परतीच विमान
-एअरपोर्ट वर 'Malaysian street food' -- ठीक ठाक होत
-परत आदिती भेटली
-विमानात बसल्या बसल्या झोप

The return journey begins - Pune to LA

-Another round of farewells @ home -- this time its much worse
-Met some of my best friends -- Swati, Rahul, Monica, Nikhil, Richa -- going back atleast with that satisfaction
-Journey to Bombay -- Sumo
-Fell asleep in car -- made the driver sleepy -- not good
-Stop @ Kamat again
-Lot of traffic
-Reach airport
-Took a walk to restroom -- alone
-Some time toe prepare myself for the departure
-Try to remain calm and smile
-Finally in
-Long wait @ counter
-Met everyone at visitors gallery -- made me feel like a prisoner visiting his relatives thru a meshed window
-Immigration and security done
-Eat a 100Rs sandwich and 100Rs cold coffee
-Making final calls
-Finally boarded -- sit on the wrong seat -- american couple makes me get up -- stupidity of mine
-Sit next to a a guy with 3 kids
-a pretty girl sitting behind me -- she has a sad kind of look
-Think of writing the log [ok, i started writing at this point - so the stuff on the return journey till now is flashback]
-Started reading the LA to Pune log -- got remined [reminded] of reading light -- checked -- does focus on my seat -- no troubles there
-Damn ! my seat is too far from the toilet
-Announcement 'Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls and Enrich members' !
-Again 'देवियों और सज्जनों' -- this time the feeling is of longing
-Free beer again
-Shouldnt have had lime with soda -- stomach acting weird
-White wine with dinner -- not bad
-No coffee with dinner :(
-Watching House
-Slept off
-Landed @ KL -- familiar territory
-Amazing how much the comfort level @ at a place increases [i have drawn an arrow pointing up] once you have been there before
-Malaysian toilets are pretty bad [i wrote worst - and rubbed it off not to be too critical]
-Sitting @ a cafe 'Delifrance' -- apparently french
-Finally some coffee and water
-1US$ = 3.27RM
-डोक्यात विचारांच थैमान सुरु आहे
-मराठीत लिहिल्यामुले अस वाटतय की रोज काहीतरी मराठीतून लिहाव
-Search for chewing gum -- 'दात घासन्याची गोळी'
-Go to a duty free chocolate shop -- no gum
-Go to a pharmacy -- happydent white
-Another security check -- cant take water in -- what a waste
-Guard asks to open bag -- momentary freakout
-Tried calling Deepti again! -- not in service
-Imagined the scene @ immigration in LA -- why am i freaking out?
-लिहायचा मूड नाहीये -- आत्तापर्यंत झोपून होतो
-Landed @ Taipei
-Toilets are cleaner and bigger
-It is cold inside the terminal
-1US$ = almost 38 Taiwan$
-A girl traveling to LA giving me looks -- caught her looking @ me a couple of times
-Parle poppins after ages -- still the same taste
-Same kind of restlessness
- I guess after a year, LA has become 'home away from home' -- Santya's term
-Just realized that i have a habit of keeping a copy of my itin in my left pocket -- i guess useful
-12 more hours to LA
-Set clock @ LA time
-Watching district 9 -- weird movie -- 'alien trans-species prostitution' -- what a horrible concept
-Bumpy ride -- very bumpy
-One bump was so bad that a small plea of forgiveness came to my mind
-The lady sitting next to me is very scared -- holds my hand -- almost crying
-We talk -- she turns out to be facutly @ USC -- works on HIV !
-The world is so small
-Bumps over
-Slept through most of it
-Bored by now -- i thik [think] long flights are useful in killing all the feelings of leaving home
-Almost there in LA
-Finally got coffee ! but the bumps start again
-Watch a corny video of CBP about carrying food
-Immigration and customs cleared -- no probs there
-Waiting for flyaway
-Its raining and its cold
-Journey from warm and sunny Pune to cold and cloudy LA is over
-So long



Phew -- that was a long blog.

Alright, hope its readable and hope you dont fall asleep by the end of it.

So this is it for my new years blog for now - will get back soon - have so many topics to write about.

Happy New Year everyone !